The day we launched eBay Ink – April 2, 2008 – I posed the following:
Can an employee really be transparent?
I acknowledge that it’s definitely a fine line to walk but one that will only guarantee progress and to be blunt, I think the answer lies with all of us. Not just me. It is in everyone’s best interest – authors and audience alike – to remain honest, transparent and authentic as we contribute to the eBay Ink conversation.
We need to ask the honest questions and search for honest answers. Authors and commenters alike are tasked to look for solutions that serve the community at large (employees and executives; the buyers and sellers; the operators and analysts; the technologists and executives).
I would argue that this is as true today as the day I wrote it over 4 years ago. When I first started blogging for eBay here on eBay Ink, the first question I always got was “how the heck did you land that job?” (Based on some of my posts, I’m sure a lot of you have asked the same question over the years). It has been a great ride to be sure. Given the sheer “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” nature of corporate blogging, the more appropriate question should be “How did you keep it?”
After 1,250 blog posts, 8,000+ comments, 13 earnings calls, 8 seller releases, 7 eBay: On Locations, 2 analyst days and an eBay Live, it is time to watch my baby grow up. Just as I am facing a new, exciting opportunity within the eBay business, so too is the eBay Ink Blog on to bigger and better things.
Starting June 18, I will be joining the StubHub team in San Francisco, heading up all of our social media efforts. To say I am excited would be an understatement.
Having said that, it is a bittersweet moment for me. On the one hand, I welcome the challenge and natural progression of my career here at eBay… on the other, I always knew that this day would come… the day when my dorky eyes would stop staring back at you from our corporate blog.
This move is good for everyone. A fresh approach to the blog can only mean fresh perspectives, heightened commentary, new content, and a clear set of eyes on everything. I would argue that for too long, this blog has relied on the primary content and perspective of one individual and given how far this company has grown in the past the 4+ years, it would be short-sighted of us to think it should continue as such. It is time to evolve eBay Ink to be truly representative of the eBay Inc. family of businesses and customers. More info on this in the coming weeks.
For now, all that is left for me to say is thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for your support and for contributing to the conversation. Thank you for keeping me honest. Thank you for congratulating me when I got it right and thank you for showing me the error of my ways on the occasions that I got it wrong. It has been a significant step of the journey that I am very proud of and I have appreciated every moment along the way.
Cheers!
RBH
